The Toennies Group and Pharma Action have set up a joint venture to produce the crude material for the anticoagulant heparin in a specially designed production plant in Germany.
The factory, scheduled to be fully operational by the end of the second quarter of 2014, will produce crude heparin in Aurea, near Rheda-Wiedenbrueck. At full capacity it will process more than 30% of Europe's traceable mucosa – the raw material used in the production of heparin.
Toennies, an international slaughterhouse group, took a majority shareholding in Pharma Action, based in Berlin, in May 2012.
Pharma Action has expanded the capacity of its state-of-the-art production site in Berlin to process the annual crude heparin output from the Rheda-Wiedenbrueck site, which is projected to be in excess of 10 metric tons.
Heparin is derived from pig intestines and is used for the prevention and treatment of thrombosis and embolisms. It is also used in heart surgery and the treatment of heart disease. To date, most heparin production takes place in China where it is often obtained from various sources with unclear compositions and origin, which can pose an unacceptably high risk to patients.
For the first time, the large-scale production of heparin in Germany will become a reality, and from a single vertically integrated source.
Clemens Toennies, CEO of the Toennies Group, said the construction of the new factory and its stake in Pharma Action will create a 'globally unique production chain' from slaughtering of the animals through to the production of the basic heparin material and additional refinement.
Everything will be produced under GMP standards, with compliance being a prerequisite for market approval/marketing authorisation in the pharmaceutical industry.
'With its closed, highly controllable supply chain, Pharma Action offers pharmaceutical manufacturers and patients worldwide a unique proposition: 100% traceability and consequently security of heparin active substances,' said Erol Isim, Founder and Managing Director of Pharma Action.
The complete traceability of heparin has been a requirement for the production of pharmaceutical raw materials from biological origin since 31 January this year. However, it is feared that few suppliers will be able to meet the standards necessary.
The Rheda-Wiedenbrueck is a fully automated factory containing cleanrooms and covering an area of around 3,100m2. New production methods and innovative systems enable the recycling of numerous substances and resources, providing a sustainable and environmentally friendly production process. Twenty new jobs will be created in Rheda-Wiedenbrueck.
